After rebirth, I became a national teacher

Naturally, those concubines and illegitimate sons who competed with her for food and disrespected her during her imprisonment all suffered a bad end.

Although Zhang would not kill anyone, she would often torment them in various ways.

In order to save expenses in the Earl's Mansion, she laid off all the maids and servants around other masters, both big and small.

He only kept the team around him, and hired another twenty or thirty strong maids and thugs who were loyal to him to protect himself and his son.

Pei Xiao's concubines and illegitimate children, regardless of whether they were favored or not, were all kept in the mansion by her to do hard labor.

They eat the worst food every day and do the most tiring work, but because they are family members, they don’t even have to pay monthly wages.

Because of Emperor Yong'an's indulgence towards her, and the fact that it did not involve state affairs, no one interfered in the internal affairs of the Jingnan Marquis's Mansion.

After receiving the Queen's decree, Zhang frowned.

Her own son Hunger was only two years old and was not invited at all. She didn't want those illegitimate little bastards to make a name for themselves in the palace.

If they were to seize an opportunity to make a breakthrough, it would only cause more trouble.

However, the eunuch who delivered the message seemed to see through her thoughts and added emphatically:

"Madam, this is also what His Majesty meant."

No matter how reluctant Zhang was, she had to grit her teeth and agree.

She knew very well that she could barely maintain the Earl's Mansion now only thanks to the little favor from His Majesty.

Therefore, she could only hastily ask people to make clothes for the two illegitimate sons who met the age requirements in preparation for entering the palace for the banquet.

Pei Xuan had been beaten many times and gone hungry in the past two years, and his life was extremely miserable.

He became more and more resentful of his own sister Rong Niang, hating her for being so cruel and ruthless that she sent him back to the Jingnan Marquis's Mansion to be tortured.

He hated his biological mother more than his sister.

She was born in a humble family, was cowardly and incompetent, had been causing trouble for him since childhood, and now she was even more indifferent to him.

It has been more than two years. Could it be that she has only cared about enjoying the good life with her successful daughter and never thought about the future of her son?

If she was a qualified mother, she should force Rong Niang to rescue him.

Even if he didn't follow the traitor Du'e Shenzun, he should ask Rong Niang to give him a large sum of money so that he could live a life of wealth and glory like them and her!

When Zhang sent people to tailor clothes for him and teach him palace etiquette, he realized that it was His Majesty who personally ordered young men and women of marriageable age from all mansions to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

He swore to himself in his heart that this was his only chance to escape from his current situation and he must not miss it.

He must attract the attention of His Majesty at the banquet, and it would be best if those young ladies from noble families would fall in love with him at first sight and insist on marrying him.

In order to shine at the banquet, Pei Xuan specially prepared his best poems.

He slightly modified the famous poem about the moon that he had memorized before traveling through time and presented it to Emperor Yong'an, who indeed praised him.

The country's supreme ruler praised his poem with a pleasant face, asked him to move to the front seat at the banquet to sit with the royal family members, and also gave him food.

All the boys and girls in the audience looked at him with envy.

After the banquet, Emperor Yong'an ordered him and two other sons of officials who were admired to enter the palace to study with several other royal family members and receive instruction from famous teachers and scholars.

Pei Xuan thought that he would never be controlled by Zhang again. After returning to the Jingnan Marquis' Mansion, he decided to get more money from Zhang so that he could use it in the palace.

He said to Zhang in a very impolite manner:

"Mother, you should have heard His Majesty's order. Please prepare my luggage for the palace. I will be going to the palace to study in three days!"

"The writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone must all be of high quality, and the gold and silver used for bribery must not be less, otherwise everyone in the palace will think that you, as the legitimate mother, are unkind and harsh to your illegitimate son!"